In accordance with known network management methods nominal levels of bandwidth are allocated to client devices. Allocations are often made based on a subscription tier model, within which client devices in each tier receive a respective bandwidth allocation for a corresponding cost. Known quality of service (QoS) metrics for these methods are merely based on assessing whether client devices are provided with data throughput levels associated with the subscription tiers. However, perceptual playback quality of media content data can vary within a subscription tier bandwidth allocation based on characteristics of the media content data. Known network management methods do not manage shared network resources in order to influence perceptual playback quality of media content data items at a client device.
Rather, known methods of managing perceptual playback quality are typically performed by individual client devices. For example, according to adaptive bit rate (ABR) methods, each ABR-enabled client device individually detects and seizes additional available bandwidth, without regard to any substantial gains in perceptual playback quality. Thus, during video streaming, an ABR-enabled client device requests a higher bit-rate representation of a video stream after detecting newly available bandwidth. Bandwidth is misappropriated when the higher bit-rate representation fails to provide a substantial gain in perceptual playback quality. The problem is reinforced by previously known methods in at least three ways. First, newly available bandwidth is claimed on a first-come-first-served basis, which penalizes client devices that cannot or do not act first. Second, existing network management methods fail to regulate client devices that are each operating to individually consume as much of a shared network resource as is available. Third, previously known methods prevent client devices from cooperatively sharing network resources. Consequently, individual client devices are often able to misappropriate portions of shared network resources in a way that has a negative impact on and/or limits the perceptual playback quality of media content on other client devices.
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